Department of Psychology

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• For Experimenters

Step 1: Get an account at Sona Systems and set up your study

1. Sona Systems is a web-based appointment management system employed by SJU to manage access to the participant pool from the Curricular Enhancement Program (CEP).
2. If you are interested in accessing the CEP participant pool, email Dr. Shih at jshih@sju.edu to request an account.
3. You may request this account prior to having IRB approval You may set up the study in the way formulated by you and your faculty advisor. The study will not be visible to participants until you have received IRB approval to conduct the study.
4. The primary researcher or the person(s) taking responsibility for the project needs to enter all details of project participation (e.g., project description, location, times, dates, any subject qualifications, etc.) at http://sju.sona-systems.com.
5. Sona-systems has a complex interface and offers many features. Please use the following guides to help you set up your study properly:
   • Setting up a Survey Monkey (online) study in Sona Systems
   • Setting up an experiment in Sona Systems
   • Setting up and using the Pretesting tool
   • Sona Systems Manual for Researchers
   Dr. Shih is available for consultation on complex issues not easily deciphered from the manual. Please stop by during office hours or email her with your questions at jshih@sju.edu.

Step 2: Get approval from Dr. Shih and post your study online

1. In order for your study to be posted on to Sona Systems and be visible to CEP students, complete the Application to Access CEP Participant Pool (.DOC) and submit a hard copy to Dr. Josephine Shih, the CEP Coordinator, Room 225 Post Hall.
2. Only projects that have received prior Institutional Review Board approval can be posted. Be sure to attach your IRB approval letter to the application.
3. If you are using the CEP pool to conduct your thesis study, you need to demonstrate that both your mentor and second reader have approved your thesis proposal. To do this, make sure you include a signed thesis proposal approval form with your application.
4. Please note that if you have special participant selection criteria or if you have a complex project that may require the creation of more than 1 "study", you need to set up an in-person meeting with Dr. Shih. Bring the Application to Access CEP Participation Pool, your IRB protocol, and your IRB approval letter to the meeting.
5. You will receive email notification when your study has been approved and the number of time slots you were allotted. In addition, you will be given a mock student account in Sona-Systems which will allow you to see if your study posted correctly on the participants' end.